ANCHORAGE, AK (Alaska’s News Source) - Rain has been steadily building into Southcentral, with winds gradually dying down. We’ll see widespread rain stick around throughout the day, with rain returning to the Southeast and ongoing isolated showers in the Interior. Meanwhile, for areas of the Slope, we’ll see the return to winter over the next few days.
SOUTHCENTRAL:
As our downsloping winds have lost steam, rain is steadily building into inland areas of Southcentral. Once the rains begin, we’ll see little dry time throughout the day. This won’t be heavy rain, but more steady light rain that will stick around through the day. Thankfully, winds won’t be much of an issue, as the core of the strongest winds have died down. We could still see the potential for winds gusting up to 30 mph, although that likely will favor areas of Palmer and the Copper River Basin.
Rain will be the heaviest near the coast, where we could see one to two inches, while inland areas of Southcentral see a quarter to half an inch of rain. Slightly higher amounts will be possible through the Copper River Basin, where rain looks likely tonight into Thursday. Rain for most areas will begin to taper off through the day Thursday, with only scattered activity tomorrow.
Heading into the close of this week, drier weather takes hold. With that said, we could still see some isolated to scattered showers lingering into the weekend. As we transition into next week, there are signs we could see our first true taste of summer. Temperatures next week look to warm into the 60s, with a stretch of 60s beginning as early as Tuesday of next week.
SOUTHEAST:
After dealing with fairly dry weather the last few days, rain is set to make a return to Southcentral this afternoon into the evening hours. Areas of the Northern and Central Panhandle will see the rain arriving by midmorning and early afternoon, while locations to the south see rain this evening. Thankfully, this will not be a multiday event with rain not expected to amount to any significant amounts. Half an inch to nearly two inches of rain will be possible between now and Thursday evening, with the heaviest rain falling near Yakutat. Ketchikan, which saw landslide concerns in May will only see up to an inch of rain.
As the week draws to a close, some dry time is to be expected. However, more rain looks to build back in this weekend. While not widespread, it will kick off another wet pattern that will carry us through next week.
INTERIOR:
While the wind advisory has been allowed to expire for the Alaska Range, we’ll still hold onto some gusty conditions. Max winds will likely peak around 30 mph with some areas of blowing dust. Blowing dust will only be problematic in locations where it remains dry, as isolated to scattered showers will build in throughout the day. A better return to rain arrives Thursday and Friday, which will lead to cooler conditions in the forecast. It’s likely by week’s end, highs for many areas will drop into the mid to upper 50s.
Where’s summer? Fairbanks has yet to officially hit the first 70-degree reading of the season, and it’s a certainty we will see the latest on record. However, there is some promising news in the forecast. As we transition into next week, warmer air will build back into Alaska. This will likely bring Fairbanks its first 70-degree reading sometime later next week.
SLOPE/WESTERN ALASKA:
Light snow is falling across the Central Brooks Range this morning, with areas of the Eastern Beaufort Sea Coast also seeing some light snow. A winter storm watch will go into effect for the Central Brooks Range by 10 p.m. Thursday and last through Saturday morning. Five to 11 inches of snow will fall through the Central Brooks Range, with some light accumulation along the coast.
In addition to the snow chances, gusty winds will build back across the Slope. While not too terribly windy today, winds will gradually increase through the day. Some of the strongest winds will be near Point Lay, where gusts up to 45 mph will be possible. Daily highs will remain near freezing, while overnight lows drop into the 20s. Additionally, coastal fog will stick around the next few days, except for locations where winds remain elevated.
Southwest Alaska and the Aleutians will maintain a hold on fairly quiet weather as the week draws to a close. While we can’t rule out some isolated showers or thunderstorms to close out the first week of June, those should only occur for the Upper Kuskokwim and the Middle Yukon Valleys. In addition to showers in the forecast, winds will continue to remain quite gusty. Northwesterly winds will increase to near 30 mph later today and likely persist through the close of this week.
ALEUTIANS:
A ridge of high pressure across the Western Aleutians will greatly influence the weather to close out the week. While we can’t rule out some stray showers, many areas of the Aleutians will stay on the drier side. Friday could bring a better day for some isolated showers across the Central and Eastern Aleutians, as a weak wave drops south out of the Bering. Outside of this, we’ll hold onto generally breezy winds, as persistent northwest flow remains with us.
OUTLOOK AHEAD:
Summer has largely been absent from Alaska, outside a few days where highs have managed to warm quite nicely. Fairbanks is still chasing the first 70-degree day of the season, while Anchorage has yet to see any significant stretch of 60s in the first. That is all set to change next week, as there are sure signs of warmer weather heading our way. While we’ll still hold onto a rainy pattern for Southeast, a ridge will build north into the Gulf of Alaska. This has the potential to bring us some of the nicest weather we’ve seen so far this season. However, we’re still several days out, and the ridge will need to be watched.
Download the free Alaska’s News Source Weather App.
Send us your weather photos and videos here!
Copyright 2025 Alaska's News Source. All rights reserved.
